Down and down. Deep and deep.
Planting my hands on his chest, I rocked on his huge size, shivering as he sheathed himself completely. Only once he’d claimed me did I open my eyes and look down.
The joy on his face.
The adoration in his gaze.
The blistering love in his every thought.
Tears bruised my eyes as he held up his hands and intertwined our fingers together. “I’m your anchor now, Nila. Ride me. Use me. Control me. I’ve always got you. I’ll always catch you if you fall—”
I fell backward, tumbling through a wormhole, falling, falling.
The delicious dream shattered.
My spine collided with soft carpet and my eyes shot wide. Gleaming silver wheels and narrowed bronze eyes welcomed me back to reality.
“What thehellare you doing?”
Scrambling to a sitting position, I wiped my eyes and hoped my cheeks weren’t flushed. Having an erotic fantasy was one thing. Having an eroticfantasy about the brother of the woman now glaring at me was entirely another.
“Normally, if a person doesn’t answer their door, it’s because they don’t want to be disturbed.”
“You ignored me. I had to take drastic action.”
Jasmine sighed. Her dark hair was flat on one side, her skin rosy from sleep. Looking past her, I noticed the covers of her bed were turned down and her nightgown of white cotton and forget-me-not blue ribbons covered her from head to toe.
I climbed to my feet. “If you don’t want to talk to me, tell me where his room is.”
“Where whose room is.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, don’t play that game. You know who. If I knew where to find him in this godforsaken place, I’d go and camp outside his door instead of yours.”
She huffed. “Firstly, he’s not on this floor. Secondly, I wonder how long that would be permitted until Cut dealt with you.” Leaving me on the threshold, she wheeled herself back to bed.
I closed the door and followed. Standing awkwardly at the foot of the mattress, I whispered, “Do you want some help?”
Her head snapped toward me. “Do Ilooklike I need help?” She waved around the empty room. “Do I have a maid to help me? Do you think I can’t manage even the simplest of tasks by myself?”
I flinched. “No, of course not.”
Keeping my fingers together, preventing any chance of reaching out, I stood fixed to the carpet as Jasmine locked the wheels and placed her hands on the bed.
It wasn’t high and with a small grunt, she hoisted herself from the chair and into the covers.
With brisk efficiency, she slid against her pillows, reached down to direct her legs from twisted and dangling to laying perfectly straight, then covered herself with the duvet.
“See?” she sneered.
I drifted forward, perching on the side. “You’re very proficient at that.”
A wry laugh escaped her. “I’ve had many years to get used to it.”
Awkward silence fell; I struggled for another topic. “Were you born this way?”
Her eyes glinted. “No.”
My heart banged at her simple but very revealing answer. Deciding I had nothing left to lose, I murmured, “Did someone do this to you?”
